I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective covers for pools. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cover for a pool that is particularly suitable for protection during the winter. The cover assembly includes a cover and an inner ring assembly for adhering the cover to the inner side of the pool's peripheral wall.
II. Description of the Relevent Art
The popularity of home swimming pools has risen dramatically in the past two decades. This increase in interest in swimming pools is largely due to the utility of these pools for recreation, relaxation and exercise.
However, swimming pools suffer a general disadvantage in that they require a considerable amount of maintenance, particularly during the summertime when cleanliness and balanced chemical composition is necessary.
Maintenance of swimming pools is a year-round activity. During the winter months in colder climates, a pool owner has substantially two choices as to the maintenance of the pool. First, the owner can drain the pool, an effective but impractical and costly exercise. Second, the owner can cover the pool. By providing a cover, debris and animals are kept out of the water during the cold season when the pool water is not regularly used or cleaned.
Known covers are composed of a heavy-gauge plastic sheet that is provided over the top of the pool. If the pool is a conventional above-ground type, then a cable, band or similar holding assembly is fitted about the outer side of the pool wall with the cover material being held between the wall and the holding assembly. On the other hand, in-ground pools may also use plastic covers, but alternatively utilize an anchor assembly to anchor the cover either to the ground or to the walls about the pool.
These known procedures have several disadvantages. First, suspending the cover taught across the upper ledge of the pool requires considerable labor, as the weight of the material tends to cause the cover to sag.
Second, and relatedly, because conventional covers are suspended over the water of the pool from the ledge, the cover is weighted down by collected snow and ice. This damages the integrity of the cover material which is forced to stretch in response to the added weight.
Third, and more importantly, in high wind, the conventional cover tends to billow upwards, partly due to a drop in ambient air pressure, partly due to a vacuum effect. Repeated billowing causes premature wear on the cover and may cause ripping and shredding.
Accordingly, the prior approaches to solving the problem of providing a cover for a pool and the like have resulted in producing a troublesome cover that only minimally achieves its purpose.